


Home

by daveraf



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: spooky scary au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 16:14:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3417206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daveraf/pseuds/daveraf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael wakes up in an unfamiliar place. Turns out he's been dead a while. He needs to remember everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Undead

Waking up with a start in a cold, blindingly bright room on a cold metal table isn’t necessarily his idea of a great wake-up call. He raises a hand to block the light from practically stabbing his eyes. Where is he? He turns away from the lights - those damn bright lights - to look at his surroundings. It doesn’t seem like much; a makeshift lab that’s in the middle of working it’s way up to being some big time professional thing. He sits up, swinging his legs over the side of the table he’s sitting on. He stands and takes a step. He almost falls down, wobbling to the side, as if he hasn’t walked in a long while. He regains balance and composure, restoring familiarity with moving on his feet. Eyes darting around the room, he wonders almost frantically where he is and how he got there. He makes his way around the room, examining the varying folders, photos, microscopes, chemicals, and books. Just as he started to open one of the many books, he hears the door across the room from him opening. He turns quickly, ready to defend himself.   
The man standing in the doorway has a surprised expression and almost drops the plate he has in his hand. 

"You're... Awake." It's less of a question, more of a statement.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"The more important question," the stranger moves quickly, setting the plate on a counter and grabbing a clipboard. "Is who are you?"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you remember who you are? Your name, your age, your... Anything?" The man has a look of excitement over his face and is gripping the clipboard so hard, one would think he'd break it. 

"Uh..." He realizes then that his mind is blank. It takes a lot of scouring for him to find anything close to at least a name. "Michael."

"Michael..." The other writes quickly. He gestures towards the table. "Sit down, Michael, sit down."

Michael reluctantly moves back to the table, eyeing the stranger. "Do you mind telling me who the hell you are first?"

"Oh, yes, sorry. Got a little ahead myself. My name is Ryan." He holds his hand out, offering a shake, but is responded to with a scowl. "Sorry, you're probably not in the best of moods."

"Yeah, no shit. I have no idea where I am, my memory is foggy, and I have a stranger questioning me. Can I get some kind of explanation before I decide jumping you is the best decision?"

Ryan puts his hands up in what seems like surrender. "Okay, okay. Calm down." He sets the clipboard to the side and sits in a stray chair. "Michael, you've, uh... Been dead a while. Do you remember anything that might've happened?"

Michael's eyes widen. "Dead?" He mutters, eyes focusing on the floor. "Dead," he repeats, this time with a chuckle. "You're shittin' me, right? No one comes back. No one's dumb enough to try to bring someone back. That's pretty much against the rules of the damn world."

Ryan leans back. "Then I must be dumb to try." He grins. "But I sure am smart enough to succeed."

Michael shakes his head, laughing. "Shut up, man."

Ryan shrugs his shoulders and rolls his chair to another table. He picks something up, then rolls back to Michael. He holds up a mirror to him, waiting for a response. Michael's not quite ready to give said response, as he's taking in his appearance. Last time he saw himself, he recalls, his eyes weren't a shade of yellow over black, and they sure as hell weren't glowing at all. He reaches a hand up to rub one eye, hoping he was just seeing things. When he moves his hand away, he realizes that he's definitely not hallucinating. His eyes move quickly to look at Ryan.

"You actually brought me back," he says, "I was actually dead."

Ryan sets the mirror on a table. "I told you. Do you remember how you died?" He repeats with a curious look.

Michael's shock turns into anger. "No, I don't remember how I fucking died! I didn't even know I died!" Michael's voice raises in volume and his fists ball up. "Why do you even care, Ryan? Am I even supposed to know you?"

Ryan hums, unphased by Michael's reaction. "No, we don't know each other. I-"

"So then what am I doing here with you?!"

"Hey, hey, let me finish," his tone remains calm. "I've been looking into necromancy as a science lately. Jack saw you on the news and let me know that I might've had a chance."

"Who the hell is Jack?"

"Swamp creature of sorts. That's beside the point, though. You're here and alive now, and that's what matters. Until you remember things, I suggest you stay with us a while so I can record progress." He swivels around in his chair, writing on loose papers on the desk behind him.

"I'm not some experiment for you! I don't care what you suggest, I'm not staying here with you."

"Do you have anywhere else to go?" Ryan turns to him, a warm smile on his face. "Don't worry, Michael. We have plenty of room and I'd rather give you food and shelter than let you try surviving on your own. Come on," he turns back to the papers. "You'll like it here. Go check out the house, get used to it. I'll be here if you need me."

Michael scoffs. "Yeah? What makes you think I'm not just gonna leave?"

"You're still here, still listening to me. You're acting just like Geoff, and he's stuck around for a long while now."

Michael sighs out of frustration before turning and leaving the room. When he steps out, he's a bit taken aback. He expected some shithole of a place (if he's being honest), not a big, clean and proper lodge. Directly in front of him is a large staircase, which seemingly leads to a small space with a few doors, then another staircase. A ways to his left, he sees a cozy looking but large living room, TV on, and a gilled, seaweed ridden man sitting on a couch. Just past the creature is a window, showing the surrounding forest outside of the lodge. The woods seem deep, but he spots a few clearings here and there. By the looks of the sun shining over wet trees and puddles of rain water, Michael assumes it's spring. He looks to his right, spotting a different door than the one behind him. It's closed, and Michael doesn't have the energy to bother with it.

He walks briskly towards the living area, seeing that there's a kitchen behind it. In it, there's a demon - holy shit, an actual demon, with horns and a tail and everything that Michael's never seen in real life before - sipping on a glass of some kind of drink. Presumably, it's whiskey; there's a bottle of it on the counter next to the demon. Said being looks up to meet Michael's gaze with his own. He lets out a laugh as he watches Michael freeze up. "So, you're actually awake, huh? Didn't really think Ryan would be able to do it. I'm Geoff, that's Jack. Welcome to the family."

Upon hearing Geoff speak up, Jack turns to look at Michael, curious for a response. He watches as Michael's face distorts into one of what looks like disgust. 

"First him, now you?" Michael glares at Geoff. "What's making everyone think that I'm going to stay here?"

Geoff shrugs, taking a drink. "It's not bad here. We're all... Quirky. Have a lot of fun. Just try it out for a little while, kid. Don't like it, then leave. But at least give it a chance."

Michael looks wary. Jack notices.

"What's your name?"

Michael turns to Jack, then speaks almost hesitantly. "Michael." 

Jack grins. It's a warm, hearty grin that's only described as welcoming. "Nice to meet you, Michael."

That's the nicest greeting he's had so far.

"Geoff's right. This is a good place. We have more than enough rooms for you to stay in."

"Yeah," Geoff cuts in. "You should go choose one. You're convinced, I can tell. I was the same way." He shoos him away in the nicest way possible. "Go on, go pick one."

Michael huffs. He doesn't like when people are right. He can't help but admit that the place makes him feel... Safe, despite only being there a short time. He wasn't going to even think about staying, but Ryan's kind words and the niceness from Jack and Geoff made him think otherwise. He won't outwardly say it yet, though. He moves towards and up the stairs without a word, going to find himself a room. At the top of the first staircase, there's a long hallway full of doors. Michael assumes that these are the bedrooms. He walks to the very end of the hallway and stands at the door of the last room. He sighs, opens the door, and steps into the room.

It's already got a bed, he notices. It's not a small room, but it's not too big, either. Just perfect for him. He steps further into the room and towards the window. He watches a few drops of water drip off of a leaf outside before turning around to examine the near-empty room. As he faces the door again, he's met with the view of Ryan in the doorway. Michael's mood goes sour.

"What do you want?"

"This is your room then?" Ryan steps in, looking around. "We can move a spare dresser in here, if you want. Make it a little less empty."

"Stop assuming that I'm staying."

"Come on, Michael. You'd be gone by now if you weren't drawn to this place."

Michael stays quiet, leaving silence between the two of them.

"Fine," he speaks up, "I'm staying. But only until I remember more about myself for you. After that, I'm out of here."

Ryan smiles. "That's alright with me. Make yourself at home, Michael. Let me know when you've regained some of your memory."

With that, Ryan leaves Michael the only one in the room. Left alone, Michael sits on the bed with a sigh. He lays back and closes his eyes, thinking about his new home and not much else.

 

It's been about a month now. Michael's loosened up a little bit and is much more willing to talk at this point. He makes conversation with Geoff often; Geoff tells him stories about his dimension, and Michael ends up looking up to him in a way. They drink together every once in a while, inviting Ryan and Jack. The former always says no, the latter takes them up on the offer sometimes.

He's the most comfortable around Jack. The creature's humble and gentle, often working on a makeshift garden outside or hanging around the local swamp. Michael's followed him out before, just like now. They don't talk too much on the way out, but once they find a comfortable spot, they go on and on, even bouncing jokes off each other. Jokes turn into serious conversation every once in a while before returning to laughs.

"How long have you been staying with Ryan?" Michael never really thought to ask before, as he'd been apprehensive about talking to any of them.

"A few months. I found the house on a trip out and noticed an overgrown garden outside of it," Jack sighs and dips his hand into swamp water. "Ryan walked out and wasn't scared - I mean, I don't think he was even surprised - and asked if he could study me. I didn't really have a reason to say no, and eventually I ended up just sticking around." He looks over at Michael. "Do you remember what happened before you were here?"

Michael shakes his head. "My memory's still fucked up. I mean, all I can remember is my name and..." He stops. It hadn't occurred to him before that he remembered another thing. 

"And my age."

"That's new. Tell Ryan yet?"

"No, actually, but I need to. Sorry to leave so soon, dude, but I gotta go do that before I forget," he says, standing up. He waves to Jack (getting a wave back) and makes his way carefully out of the habitat. It may be something small, but Ryan said to report anything he remembers, and Michael holds himself to that. 

He reaches the house rather quickly and steps inside, finding Geoff in his usual spot on the couch, drink in hand.

"Where's Ryan?"

"Lab," Geoff responds in a lazy tone, not bothering to look away from the TV.

Michael shoots a quiet "thank you" as he passes by to the room he first woke up in. He knocks on the door before stepping in. He sees a tired Ryan reading through an old book and writing what Michael assumes are notes.

"Ryan."

"Hmm?"

"I remember how old I am."

Ryan turns around to look at Michael, tired eyes widening a little bit. "Yeah? Do you?" He moves around, standing and grabbing a certain clipboard that's on another desk.

"I'm twenty-seven. Or I... was twenty-seven? Either way, I remember it." He watches Ryan write on the papers held against the clipboard.

"Twenty-seven... And it's taken about a month. Awesome. Thanks, Michael." He looks up at the other and smiles. "Gives me a lot of information. I appreciate it."

Michael hums in response, nearing Ryan and leaning on a table. "Why do you do all of this, anyway?"

As Ryan sits back down, Michael can see the gears turning in the man's head as he searches for an answer.

"Well," he starts, "I've always been fascinated by the supernatural. That evolved into being curious about all sorts of magick and monsters and such, so I decided to put a lot of time into getting familiar with different kinds of creatures and magicks to better understand how they work." He leans back in his chair, relaxing a little bit. "I've studied all sorts of things. Fae, the undead, forest creatures, slimes, nocturnal creatures, harpies... That's just off the top of my head. It's a hobby turned 'professional,' I suppose. What's got you curious so suddenly?"

Michael shrugs. "We don't talk much. I've been here a month and it seems like you spend most of your time down here instead of out and about. Me and Jack and Geoff are always talking and doin' shit, but you're always busy."

Ryan's face shows a look of remembrance. "Oh, that reminds me, Michael. Are you still planning on leaving once you remember everything? You seem to like living here."

Michael's brow furrows. He'd almost forgotten that he even said that. Ryan's right; he enjoys staying here and isn't entirely sure he wants to leave.

"I'm not sure. I'm not going to say it's not nice here, because it is. But... I don't know." Michael stares at the ground.

"You don't have to leave, you know. No one's going to be mad if you stay." Ryan offers a kind smile.

He stays quiet for a bit before turning to leave.

"I know. Thanks, Ryan."

 

Another month and a half flies by. Michael knows Ryan much better and convinced the man to spend more time with the non-human individuals in the house. Right now, they're all sitting in the living area talking and laughing the night away.

"So, really, Geoff, can you hide that obnoxious demon shit?" Michael takes a sip from the beer in his hand.

"You callin' me obnoxious, Michael?"

Michael waves his hand dismissively. "No, no, no, dude! I'm talking about the..." He points at his head, mimicking a horn with his finger. 

"Oh, these? Yeah, I can take a human form that's missing all that shit." He takes a swig of his drink, then stands. With a snap of his fingers, the demon attributes were gone, like Geoff said. He bows, half out of sarcasm. The others all clap to humor him.

They continue their chatting for a bit before Michael stands to grab a soda from the kitchen. He glances out the window, does a double take, and tilts his head curiously at the sight of a large wolf pacing outside. 

"Uh, guys? There's a huge-ass wolf outside."

"That's your deal, Ryan," Geoff says, keeping conversation with Jack.

Ryan stands and walks over to Michael, looking out the window with him. He gasps quickly and quietly before speaking.

"That's not a wolf." He moves quickly, throwing his shoes on as fast as he can.

"What? What do you mean?" Michael follows after him, curious.

Ryan turns and gives a manic looking grin as he swings the door open. "That's a werewolf." 

"Oh, shit," Geoff starts. He starts scrambling over the couch, dodging Jack as he stands, as well. "Ryan, don't you fucking go out there-"

"Geoff," Ryan calls as he steps out. "I have next to nothing on werewolves. This is my chance."

"God dammit," Jack mutters.

They all silently agree to follow Ryan out. On the way, Michael asks what's going on.

"Werewolves are more dangerous than they say in the books," Geoff huffs, the cold night air eliciting a puff of steam. "Ryan's willing to do anything for his research. Gets him in dangerous spots."

They reach Ryan and stand behind him.

"God, you are beautiful," Ryan murmurs to the growling wolf in front of him. Up close, the thing was even bigger than it appeared before.

"Ryan, leave it alone... Get back inside," Jack tries to coerce him. 

Michael offers help. "This doesn't seem like the best idea, man, let's just leave it alone."

Instead of listening to the two, Ryan takes another step towards the snarling beast. He gets down on knee and holds his hand out, hoping to comfort the animal. 

"Hey, hey, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," he whispers, moving a little closer. In response, the wolf snaps at him, obviously threatened and pissed.

Upon seeing the small lunge from the wolf, the other three dart forward. Michael makes it first, standing in front of Ryan. This startles the beast and, as Jack is pulling Ryan back, it goes for Michael. He puts his arm up, cowering only slightly, meeting a firm bite down on it. Michael yells loudly, causing the beast to stop and back up, seemingly feeling scared and small. Geoff shouts something to Michael, but he doesn't quite hear it between paying attention to the wolf, grabbing his bleeding forearm (which he thinks might be broken), and Ryan's yelling. He watches as the beast cowers and runs away. When it's gone, he turns to the others, pressing his hand against his arm to stop any bleeding. 

"It's gone," he says loudly, his voice a little raspy.

Geoff slaps the back of Ryan's head. "D'you see what happened, Ryan?!"

Ryan doesn't respond to the other. Instead, he runs to Michael and rushes him inside. Jack follows. The demon gives a low growl of frustration before jogging behind them.

Michael's pushed along by the others into the house, past the lab, and into the downstairs bathroom. Ryan moves the other two out of the bathroom, making more room for him and the injured undead. The scientist grabs a towel off of the towel rack, dampening it in the sink. He quickly and gently runs it over Michael's arm, checking to see the wound.

But he doesn't see one.

"Holy shit," Ryan gasps.

"What, is he okay?" Geoff moves around to look at the two.

"Yeah, he's fine," Ryan turns and looks at the other two over his shoulder. "As in, there's no bite mark. Not even any bruising." He hands Michael the towel. "Clean your arm, Michael, I need to go write this down."

Michael nods as Ryan slips past Geoff and Jack and to the next door over. He wipes the blood off of his arm, surprising himself when he sees the lack of punctures on it. He notices that the pain from before has faded majorly.

"Are you okay, Michael?" Jack peeks in.

"Yeah... Yeah, I am. This is fucking insane, dude," Michael finishes cleaning his arm off and shows it to the other two. "I don't even feel it anymore. I know that thing bit me, I'm positive."

Geoff grabs the other's arm, moving it around to see the injury - or lack thereof - for himself. He thinks for a moment, then nods.

"It's gotta be the necromancy. It must've given you a healing factor or something."

Jack nods. "We should tell Ryan, unless he's already figured it out."

The other two agree, following each other to the lab. When they step in, they're greeted with a frantic Ryan scrambling around, looking from note to note and book to book. He looks up at them, moving towards Michael and pulling him to a nearby light where he can examine his arm. He focuses on Michael's arm, then to an open book, and his arm again. Eventually, Ryan runs a hand through his hair, sighing. 

"We think he developed a healing factor," Jack says. "Do you have anything on that?"

Ryan sits down on the nearest chair and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Either that," he lowers his hand, moving his gaze between the three. "Or he's immortal."

"Immortal?" The three say it at almost the same time.

"Immortal," Ryan repeats, matter-of-factly. "The healing, I'll test, - if that's okay with you, Michael - but the immortal shit, I won't." 

"Geoff would probably kill you if you did," Michael laughs quietly, trying to lighten up the tension.

"You bet your ass I would," the demon pipes in.

"Michael, if you don't mind, I'd like to test this. Right now, preferably," Ryan gives a hopeful look.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, doc."

The "doc" draws his attention to the other two creatures standing in the room. "You guys can go. I don't want any distractions."

The two agree and leave without a word.

"Alright then," Ryan offers a smile. "Let's get started."


	2. The Wolf

A few days later, and after multiple tests, Michael's laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He hasn't forgotten the idea of him being immortal; it's started to take over his mind. It causes him to think about his friends and family. The ones he doesn’t even remember, but knows he can't go home to. He closes his eyes with a sigh. They might see him as a monster and would see it even worse to know he could be immortal. 

His thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the front door and the sound of both Ryan's voice and an unidentifiable one. Michael opens his eyes again, gets up, and heads down the stairs, curious. No one ever comes to their door. When he reaches the bottom, he sees that Ryan is talking to a very nervous looking younger man. Black hair, tanner skin, glasses. Michael comes up by the older one, looking at the new guy.

"Who's this?" He asks bluntly.

"I'm, uh... I'm Ray. I wanted to come apologize."

Both Ryan and Michael give a confused look.

"I was the, uh," he wrings his hands. "The werewolf from a few days ago."

Their confused looks turn into surprised ones.

Michael shrugs, pushing up the sleeve of his hoodie. "Don't worry about it, man. I'm fine."

It's Ray's turn to look surprised, both at Michael's uninjured arm and the fact that Ryan's opening the door further, inviting him in. 

"Ray, please come in," he smiles wide. "I'd like to talk to you."

Ray seems hesitant, but Michael gestures inside, reinforcing Ryan's offer. He mumbles an "okay," taking a step in the house. He looks around, taking in the appearance of the place. Ryan passes by and pats Ray's shoulder. He moves to the couch, offering a seat for Ray. At that moment, Geoff comes down the stairs. He passes by - without a glance at the others - to the kitchen. He opens the fridge, pulls out a soda, and cracks it open. It's then that he speaks up, right before a drink.

"Is that a new kid we've got?"

"We don't know yet," Michael responds, joining him in the kitchen. "He's the werewolf from the other day."

Geoff stiffens, shooting a glare towards Ryan. Michael notices and nudges the other's arm, mumbling, "Calm down. He came to apologize."

He relaxes a little bit, leaning on the counter. The two of them listen in to the conversation.

"So I'm offering a home, and asking for research," Ryan says with a welcoming smile.

Ray shrugs, looking at the ground. He's quiet for a little bit, thinking it over. "I mean, I don't see a problem with it. I'm just worried about hurting someone."  
"We'll have to work on that, then. No one will be upset."

"I don't know about this, Ryan," Geoff says a little loudly. 

Ryan gives a "shut the fuck up" look, paying attention to Ray again. Eventually, Ray agrees and follows Ryan to the lab. When they're gone, Geoff's tail flicks in annoyance. He grumbles, drinking the rest of his soda.

"This is fucked up. Don't you have a problem with this, Michael? That kid attacked you."

"Not a big deal to me. I ended up fine, so why worry?" 

"The worry is that he might go for someone else," he sighs, sitting on the counter. "I don't like the idea of risking it."

"I don't think he'd shift in the house, so whenever he runs out, I'll go with him. That would keep him from hurting you guys if it gets to that. I'm not at any risk."

"We don't know that for sure yet. I know a dick-ton of magicks, and I've never heard of necromancy granting immortality, dude." Geoff shakes his head, crushing the soda can and tossing it into the nearby recycle bin.

Michael rolls his eyes, heading to the stairs. "Whatever," he says over his shoulder as he walks up. "Pretty sure he's staying. Get used to it."

 

Ray stays in his room most of the time, occasionally coming downstairs for dinner or taking a walk outside. As far as everyone else knows, he hasn't shifted since he showed up. Michael, after a week or two of this, decides to try to talk to Ray a little bit so that he's more comfortable staying with them. He knocks on the door to his room a few times, calling for the other.

"Hey, Ray. Is it cool if we talk?" Michael asks in a gentle tone. It takes a minute or so until Ray opens the door. He looks sleep deprived and constantly worried, eyes darting around a little bit.

"What is it?" 

"Dude, you don't look so good. Can I come in?"

It takes Ray some honest consideration, Michael can tell.

"Yeah, sure," he mumbles, opening the door. 

Michael thanks him and walks inside the room. Ray's room is a lot like Michael's, save for the latter's new dresser full of clothes. It's a little bit smaller, too. He turns to Ray, who's gently closing the door.

"So what do you want?" Ray asks bluntly.

"Just to talk. You've been here a week or two and haven't really said much unless it's to Ryan. It'd be cool to get to know you, I guess."

"Getting to know me could bite you in the ass, almost literally. It's not a good idea."

"There's a high chance that I'm immortal. Do you really think I care that much?"

Ray looks thoughtful. "You can sit down, you know," he says, pointing to the bed. Michael nods and hops on, bouncing a little bit. Ray sits, too, keeping some distance between the two. "So, what are you, exactly?"

Michael inwardly winces. "Harsh wording-" (this causes Ray to apologize) "-I'm undead; Ryan used necromancy to bring me back."

"What, so could he, like, not bear the loss of a friend or something?"

"Actually, we'd never met before. At least, that's what he told me."

"And you just decided to stay with him?"

Michael lays back, hands behind his head. "I didn't have anywhere to go. I said I was going to leave once I remembered everything I'd forgotten, but I'm not so sure that's going to happen at this point." 

"You don't remember everything?"

"No, didn't even know I was dead."

"Harsh. I don't always remember what happens when I shift. I know it's not the same, but I understand having blank spots."

"Hey," he laughs, "At least there's someone who can relate in this house."

"Yeah. Helps a little bit." Ray stares at the ground.

"You're not comfortable here, are you?"

Ray stays quiet, and Michael sits up with a sigh.

"Look, it's weird at first. Trust me, I know. But you have get around everyone else. It's a nice place. Safe. But it's hell when you don't get used to it." Michael puts his hand on Ray's shoulder. "Hey, man, if you don't want to be around the others yet, at least hang out with me so you can start to like it here." He stands. "I'll leave you alone for now, I'm sure you don't want to talk too long."

He starts for the door, reaching out for the doorknob before he's stopped by Ray's voice.

"Please stay, Michael."

After that, they talk the night away.

 

Things have been better for Ray. He still mostly talks to Michael in the times that they spend the day in one of their rooms, but he's beginning to chat with Geoff and Jack more often. He stays out of his room more than before, but still has time to himself. Michael finds out that Ray always looks so tired because he's scared about shifting in his sleep. Michael convinces him to start sleeping more; that he'll make sure things work out okay. This means that Michael stays in Ray's room until the werewolf is confident that he won't turn.

He still shifts when he's awake, though. The first time Michael tries to follow him out, Ray refuses to let him before running out into the forest. Ray comes back and talks to Ryan, then stays in his room the rest of the night. Michael knows to leave him alone.

The next time, Ray's reluctant, but doesn't have the energy to say no. Michael sees Ray shift for the first time, cringing over the sound of cracking bones and ragged breathing. Ray, fully turned, glares at Michael, but turns away from him. He starts to walk away, but stops to look back at Michael. He takes this as an invitation to follow him, and they spend the next few hours walking through the woods. When they get back, everyone decides to have a small party. They all clearly see that Ray's having fun - probably the most he's had since arriving.

Ray and Michael leaving at the same time is more common now. Ray obviously trusts Michael enough for it, and no one really questions it at all. The most recent time they go out, all they do is lay around in a clearing until Ray shifts back. When that happens, they talk all the way back to house. That was about a week ago.

Today, Michael is sitting in the lab with Ryan trying to regain his memory. It's been a over a month since Michael remembered his age. 

"I had a theory," Ryan sighs, looking over notes, "That you'd remember things every month or so. Doesn't seem like that was right." He crosses out something on one of the papers he's looking over.

"I'm sorry, Ryan, my mind is just so blank," Michael says in a frustrated tone, head in his hands as he sits on the table.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault." Ryan has a reassuring tone, but Michael just shakes his head.

"I need to remember. I want to remember."

"Don't worry about it right now, Michael." Ryan pats the other's leg from his chair. "You'll remember when you remember. Go hang out with the others, I'll be here."

Michael nods and hops off of the table. He mumbles a "see ya," on his way out. When he gets to the door, he hears loud voices on the other side. He opens it and steps out, now hearing yelling between Geoff and Ray. Michael runs out into the living room, seeing the two standing up, angry looks on both of their faces. Jack is nowhere to be seen. He probably doesn't want to be a part of it.

"What's your deal, Geoff?" Ray yells. "Why are you acting like such a dick so suddenly?!"

"Is it really that sudden? Not so sure I've been not a dick since you showed up!"

"Guys," Michael jumps into the conversation, moving to stand between them. "What the fuck is going on here?"

"Geoff's sitting here calling me a 'dumbass monster' and shit like that! It's fuckin' uncalled for!"

Michael shoots a look at Geoff. "What the hell, Geoff?"

The demon throws up his arms. "What, can I not be honest? All I'm saying is the god damn truth!"

At this point, Ryan joins them. "Geoff, come on-"

"No! Not come on!" He glares daggers at Ray. "You should've been out of here a long time ago."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Ray's voice is starting to turn a little gravely. 

"It means that I'm sick of you! You don't deserve to be here with us, you fucking freak!"

Ray stays silent.

"Geoff!" Ryan shouts.

He doesn't listen. "I wanted you gone the first day you were here! Werewolves are bad news, man, and I don't want to risk you coming after one of us again!"

Ray scowls. "And you think you should be here instead? You belong in a completely different dimension, if not a literal hell!" Ray jabs a finger at him, Michael trying to push him away. "You got summoned here by chance-"

"Hey, I didn't choose to be a demon!"

Ray's eyes widen. He laughs, obviously enraged. "And you think I chose to be a werewolf? Fuck you, Geoff. Fuck. You." He turns and storms out. 

Michael shakes his head at Geoff before running after Ray. Michael can tell that's Ray's not going to be able to do anything but shift, and he decides it's best that he's there with him. They get quite a ways out, reaching a small clearing before Ray falls to the ground. Michael stays back, waiting for Ray to shift before making a move. When he can, Ray's clearly pissed, growling and snarling, looking over his shoulder at Michael walking towards him. His eyes are full of rage, Michael can tell. Ray turns to face Michael, directing his growling to the undead. Michael walks towards him slowly, holding a hand out.

"Ray, calm down, man... Geoff's not here, it's okay." Michael speaks in a soothing tone, but it's obviously not getting through to the wolf. He's gone, and Michael can tell. That doesn't stop him from trying, though. He keeps walking towards Ray, only receiving growls and snaps.

Before he can react, the wolf lunges for him, jaws clamping down on his shoulder. Michael yells, trying to push Ray away from him, to no avail. Ray backs up on his own, giving Michael just enough time to grab his shoulder and try to say something. He's not able to before Ray goes for him again, pushing him to the ground. Michael puts his arm up, trying to get Ray's clacking teeth away from his face. 

Michael has the chance to shout Ray's name before the wolf goes straight for his neck, tearing it open. Michael convulses in pain, feeling his blood seeping out of his neck and now his mouth, not able to do anything as Ray continues to maul him. 

He faintly hears the others running and shouting for him, but can't do or say anything to them. The last thing he hears is someone shouting his name and a yelp from who he thinks is Ray. The last thing he sees is a mass of blue flames and two figures running towards him. The last thing he feels is a warm blood and cold grass.

 

“Stop fucking around, Michael,” the redhead laughs, nudging Michael’s arm. She smiles up at him, her features illuminated by the fire in front of them. He laughs with her and the rest of the group sitting around the campfire. Michael’s sitting with friends, humans and creatures alike. A few are of the fae, at least one satyr, a dryad. They’re all talking and laughing, some drinking, a few smoking. They’re sitting in a forest close to the road in a small campsite. Mostly everyone has their attention on Michael, who’s spewing a few drunken ghost stories. At the end of one, everyone laughs. It’s a good night.

The human girl sitting next to him, though, is probably his favorite part of the it. She sticks to his side, smiling at him when he talks and laughing with him at his stories, or even some of his not so smart actions. The two of them had gotten used to it at this point.

Michael picks up a beer from the cooler right next to them. “Hey, Lindsay,” he says, holding it up in offering. “Want another?”

She grins and takes it from him, opening it up and taking a long drink of it before setting it on the ground, unintentionally ignoring it afterwards. She watches Michael get up and wobble a little bit before he speaks up to the group.

“I, in my drunken stupor,” he starts, laughing, “Have a game to propose. I mean, if no one else does it, I’m going to anyways.”

“What’s the game?” Someone from the group asks.

“Fuckin’ frogger. We’re close to a road, we’re having a good time, so why not?” Without waiting for anybody to respond, he laughs again and heads through the woods. The others follow him, protesting the idea, but he doesn’t listen, just keeps walking. He reaches the guardrail of the road and hops over it. He turns to those following him. 

“Michael, this isn’t a good idea at all, come on,” Lindsay says, grabbing his hand and pulling him a little. “Stop messing around.”

“No, no, I got this, don’t worry,” he turns, watching all of the passing cars before choosing a time to run through them. Everyone behind him yells, but he reaches the middle of the road unscathed. He turns and throws his arms in the air, cheering, despite the multitude of voices telling him to come back and stop the game. He shrugs and starts running back, but is stopped short by a car slamming directly into him. He hears everyone shouting for a split second before everything goes black.

 

Michael wakes up gasping for air, sitting up on the table quickly. He coughs in the middle of trying to regain a normal breathing pattern, not hearing a chair falling over in the room. Ryan rushes to him, saying things that Michael doesn’t quite register yet. He turns to Ryan, eyes wide and showing sudden fear.

“Ryan?”

“Michael, oh my God.” He sounds relieved, but his tone shows exasperation. 

“Ryan, what’s going on?”

“You… You died. Again, I mean, you - Ray - you just,” he shakes his head, trying not to stumble over his words any more than he already has. “Ray… Killed you. It’s been an hour since it happened. Did anything happen while you were gone? Any dreams, maybe, or could you hear us, anything like that?”

Michael puts his head in his hands. “I… I remembered how I died, but-”

“You did? Michael, that’s great,” he starts to turn to one of the tables, but stops. “That’s… Not the point right now. Sorry.”

“Where’s Ray?”

“He’s been up in his room since he shifted back. Geoff’s pissed, Jack’s concerned, I’m… I don’t know how I am. I’m relieved that you’re still alive. Well… You know what I mean.” He chuckles, but is unamused. “I think that everyone’s going to be talking in the living room, we were just waiting for you, if you ever… Well, you did, so that doesn’t matter.” Ryan sighs.

Michael moves off of the table, heading for the door quickly, ignoring Ryan’s series of “hold on”s. He opens it and walks past the living room quickly, where Geoff and Jack go slack jawed at the sight of him. He heads up the stairs and bangs on Ray’s door when he gets there. 

“Ray,” he calls, “Ray, get out here.”

Silence.

“Ray, I’m not angry or anything, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

More silence. Then, after a minute, the door opens slowly. Ray looks stunned, seeming like he’s seen a ghost.

“Michael, you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?”

Ray looks away, biting his lip. “Depends on what you mean by okay.”

“You know what I mean, Ray, are you-”

“Get him out here, Michael, we need to talk,” Geoff says from the bottom of the stairs. He’s got more of an angry look now than a surprised one. 

“Geoff, give him time, man,” Jack responds.

Michael ignores Geoff. “Can I come in?”

Ray seems hesitant at first, but opens the door wider to let him in. Michael slips past the other, letting him close the door quickly. The light’s off, but the moon outside lights the room up as much as it needs to be. The two of them sit on the bed, quiet for a moment.

“Geoff didn’t want me to come back. Ryan was cool enough to let me, even though Geoff was insisting so much.”

“Not that surprising.”

“Michael,” Ray sighs, “How are you not pissed? I fucking killed you.”

“Ray, you’re pretty much my best friend. Practically nothing is going to make me pissed at you. Plus, check it out, I’m fucking immortal, so it’s not like it matters that much anyway.” Michael pats Ray’s shoulder. “Look, dude, I’m fine. You’re fine, we’re all fine, okay?”

“Pretty sure Geoff’s not.”

“Yeah, well Geoff can go eat dicks until he lightens up on this shit. We’ll get him to be okay with you, don’t worry. It’ll probably take time, but that doesn’t matter. Everything will be alright.”

Ray looks up at Michael, still seeming worried.

“I promise, Ray. We’ll work it out.”

“Fine. I believe you.”

“Alright,” Michael says with a grin, standing up. “Let’s go talk to them.”


	3. The Zombie

It takes a long while, but eventually, any dispute between Ray and Geoff is resolved. They’re talking to each other more and are comfortable being around each other - at least, moreso than before. Things had cleared up a little when Michael expressed his forgiveness towards Ray, and Ray his profuse apologies.

"I'm immortal," Michael had said. "If he attacks anyone, let it be me."

They all agreed on this, despite the others feeling a slight bit uncomfortable with it.

 

"You died playing real life Frogger," Ryan says, giving Michael a blank stare.

Michael laughs nervously, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. "Uh... Yeah. Yeah, I did. In my defense, though," he adds, "I was drunk."

"That's not much defense you've got." Ryan shakes his head, turning to write notes like usual. "What a dumb way to die, honestly."

"Hey, I'm sure there's been stupider deaths than mine!"

Ryan laughs, shrugging. "I guess, but real life Frogger is pretty dumb. Is that all so far in terms of memory?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure there's more to remember later on." Michael stands from his chair, stretching his arms out. "I'm out for now."

"Thanks, Michael." Ryan glances up at Michael just as he steps out the door.

Michael closes the door gently spotting Ray and Jack in the living area. They're going on about something, sounding like they're cheering someone on - most likely Geoff - but he's not sure why. He jogs over to see what the commotion's about. When he reaches them, Geoff is in the middle of the room chugging what's left of the previously full bottle of vodka. 

"Michael," Ray says, excitement clear on his face. "Geoff's gonna do some cool fire tricks for us."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Jack chimes in, raising his drink up.

"Yeah," Geoff repeats. He tosses the bottle to the side and burps, a small blue flame slipping from his mouth. He stands still for a moment; just enough of a moment for Ryan to walk out and see Geoff spitting fire while doing a backflip. Three of the four watching clap.

"Dammit, Geoff!" Ryan shouts. "I told you to stop doing that in the house!"

Geoff responds with laughter. "Calm down, Ryan, I didn't set anything on fire this time."

The laughter, clapping, and Ryan's protests are interrupted by a loud series of bangs on the door. They all look to it, but only Ryan moves towards it. Once it's opened, a collection of unclear words are spoken quickly.

"I'm sorry, what?" 

"Please, please, let me in for the love of God, please," a British voice begs, "I'm being hunted down right now, I don't want to die, please let me-"

Ryan doesn't let him finish before pulling him in and shutting the door behind him.

"Thank you so much," he sighs, looking over to the others.

All creatures are silent as they study the man who walked in. Mismatched body parts here and there, messy, sandy hair, a torn shirt.

"Patchwork?" Geoff guesses.

Ray snaps his fingers. "Frankenstein monster."

"Zombie?" Jack throws in his own assumption.

Ryan shoots them all a peeved look, but turns his attention to the new guy when he hears him speak up.

"Uh, a little of each, really." He adds a chuckle to the last word.

"Is he staying?"

"Michael, he just-" Ryan hears a knock at the door.

The new creature jumps and runs to hide behind a couch, hearing a familiar voice when Ryan opens the door again.

"Can I help you?"

"Sure can, my friend," the voice says. "You seen a monster around? He was just running this way."

Ryan keeps the door where it is, giving only the view of himself to the stranger. "Depends. What kind of monster are you talkin'?"

"Zombie. Undead motherfucker."

"No, sir, I haven't. Sorry."

"Damn. You see him, you take him down for me, alright?" The smile can be heard through his words. 

"Yeah, sure." Ryan closes the door, a disgusted expression on his face. "I hate people like that. No respect for other creatures, hunting them down." He turns to the creature who is now peeking around the corner of the couch. "What's your name?"

He scrambles to stand up, holding his hand out for Ryan. "I'm Gavin. Thank you for that, I was scared about it being the last of me."

"No problem, Gavin."

"Hey, Ryan," Michael says, breaking the silence of the rest of them. "Are you gonna invite him?"

"Calm down," Ryan replies, a little bit of annoyance in his tone.

"Invite me?" Gavin questions, looking back and forth between them.

"Do you mind joining me in the other room?" Ryan gestures towards the lab.

Gavin seems worried, but agrees and lets Ryan lead him to the next room. Once they're behind the door, the rest turn to each other and start up a conversation.

“Everyone who thinks he’s staying, say ‘I’,” Geoff says. 

Everyone says “I.”

"Not surprising." The demon sighs and lays on a couch, hands behind his head. "Now I have to deal with one more idiot in the house."

 

Except Geoff loves the kid. They get along immediately once Gavin moves in. They often hang around each other, drinking and talking, and at one point, Geoff even calls Gavin his son.

Ray and Michael turns into Ray, Michael, and Gavin ("the Lads," Jack calls them, though it's still agreed that only Michael follows Ray out). The two who turn into instant best friends, though, are Michael and Gavin. They spend almost every waking moment together, talking all night in one of their rooms when Ray’s not up for it. They bond over the fact that they’re both dead - or undead - and are more comfortable around each other than they are with anyone else. “Bois,” Gavin calls them. Michael falls into the habit of saying it, too.

Everyone teases Gavin (to his own amusement) over multiple things. His clumsiness, his poor choices he makes playing video games, his accent, his nose, his squawking sounds that he makes often, his choice of vocabulary that everyone swears he makes up. 

"So, boi, what happened this time?" Michael's lounging on the big chair Gavin demanded, the Brit on his bed.

"The usual, I suppose. Took my damn arm off, though." He holds up his mismatched arm, wiggling his fingers.

"At least he did a good job at stitching it back on."

"Yeah, gotta give him that."

The two stay in silence for a few minutes, both focused on the TV Gavin managed to get Ryan to give him.

"Gav, what if I left?"

"Well, I'd be waiting right here for you." Gavin grins at Michael.

"No, I mean... Left. For good. Just up and went on my own."

Gavin's grin turns into a frown. "Are you going to leave?"

Michael shakes his head. "I don't know. The thought's always going through my head. When I first showed up, I said I'd leave once I remembered everything, but now..."

Gavin laughs, reaching over and placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. "Then don't leave, boi!"

Michael only shrugs in response.

 

A day or two later, the six of them are taking advantage of the sun that's shining more than it has over the past month or so. They head to the lake not too far from the house, cooler in hand, and find their own little secluded spot right next to the water. It seems others had the same idea; there's other groups scattered around the perimeter of the large lake, all enjoying themselves thoroughly.

Everyone strips off their t-shirts, wearing just swim trunks (save for Ryan, who keeps shirt on with no expectation to swim).

"Catch, Gav," Michael says, tossing a can of beer from the cooler to Gavin, who fails to catch it, letting it drop into the shallow water. Michael spits out a swear before a laugh as he watches Gavin fish it out.

Ray laughs, too, turning to Michael. "Hey, throw me a soda?"

"Can do."

Ray catches it. Gavin grumbles.

Ryan sits on a folding chair they brought, watching the interactions of everyone. Jack stays at a level of water where just his head is above the water, content. Geoff's gearing up for a cannon ball off of the ledge right next to them, horns and tail missing. The "Lads" are sitting on rocks by the shallow water, dipping their feet in. Michael and Ray move out farther, urging Gavin to go with.

"I'm not going to have anything nibbling on my toes!"

"You think anyone's interested?" Geoff shouts from the deeper water.

Gavin gives him a look, but his attention turns towards Michael and Ray as they splash him a few times with the cool water. He puts his arm up to shield himself, to no avail. He laughs anyways, kicking water back at them.

"Ryan," Jack calls. "Why aren't you in the water with us?"

"Yeah, come on, Ryan!" Ray backs him up. "You probably have the hottest bod out of all of us!"

"And maybe there's some interesting plant life underwater or some nerd shit like that," Michael adds.

Ryan sits up a little. "Why are you nagging me when Ray and Gavin aren't swimming either?"

Ray huffs. "Not a fan of being soaked. At least I'm in the water."

"And we're working on Gavin."

"I'm not going to risk anything eating me!"

Everyone rolls their eyes. Michael moves towards Gavin, grabbing his arm and pulling him out into the water.

"Michael! Michael, you're gonna pull my arm off!"

"Then get in the damn water, boi," the mentioned laughs. He keeps guiding Gavin into the water until it levels at their waists. "Anything eating you yet?"

Gavin looks obviously uncomfortable, but loosens up over time. 

"Hey, Ryan! My bev's over there on that rock, could you toss it to me?" Gavin holds his arms up.

He doesn't catch it. Again.

 

After a long day of swimming and drinking (save for Ray and Ryan), they're all laughing on their way back to the house. Gavin shakes out his wet hair on everyone, Ray keeps trying to dry himself off (as everyone had splashed him at one point or another, whether it be accident or otherwise), Jack complains about being out of the water. Geoff and Ryan are holding their own conversation in front of the group. They start walking in the lighter woods, unfortunately escaping the warmth of the setting sun. The six of them are stopped short, though, when they hear the cock of a shotgun behind them. They all turn quickly, Ryan stepping forward in front of everyone.

It's the man who'd been hunting Gavin some time ago.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Ryan says in an annoyed tone. 

Gavin hides behind Jack.

"Haven't seen that dead fucker in a while, either." The man points his gun in Gavin's direction. "I take it you took him in. No wonder."

"I did. He's not your business, so you can leave."

"He's mine, pretty boy. All he needs is a few bullets in the head."

Gavin is visibly shaking, and Michael notices. He reaches over and puts a hand on the other's arm, comforting him. It doesn't seem to help.

"Fuck off, man. Leave us alone," Michael says, voice raised slightly.

"Not until I take him down," he responds, a calm tone laced in his words.

Geoff loses the motivation to keep his horns hidden, an angry look on his face. He steps up by Ryan, clenching his fists.

"You're not going to be so happy if you don't just leave, buddy."

"A demon. Never taken one of you down before. Must be my lucky day." The man smirks.

Geoff flares up, small blue embers emanating from his hands.

Michael knows that this guy isn't going to back off. That pisses him off. If this guy wants to shoot someone, it might as well be him. Michael pushes past everyone, evading the few hands that reach out to pull him back. He mumbles, "Distraction," to Ryan as he passes by. He stands in front of the offender, showing little to no fear.

"You wanna shoot someone? Do it."

"Michael..." Gavin tries to call, but he's being pushed back by the others. They keep moving away the longer Michael confronts the man.

"You're not on the list, kid."

"Then put me on the fucking list."

The stranger puts the barrel on the gun to Michael's chest. By this time, the others have a chance to run, but Gavin's holding them back.

"You can just hand over the zombie and get outta here alive."

"Do it," Michael says in a hushed tone. He repeats it until his voice is loud enough for anyone around the forest to hear. "Do it, you fuck! Do it!"

Still not getting a response, Michael resorts to violence on his side. He throws a punch that hits the guy square in the face, wiping any trace of a smirk he might’ve had. The hit causes the man to stumble back. He laughs, standing straight and pointing the gun at him again.

“Gave you a chance.”

_Bang._

His life pretty much plays out until the point he’s at now. He gets to look back on his childhood, the friends he had, his school life. The time he threw up in front of the class because he was nervous about a presentation, the time he applied for a job, got three interviews, and didn’t get hired, the time he met his first girlfriend, the time he broke up with his first girlfriend. He saw his family going on roadtrips, to a concert, to the fair. He saw himself sitting in his room playing video games or being pissed off at his parents. Saw himself in counseling, in his home, in his friend’s house. Saw the first time he started drinking, the time that he smoked (and hated it), the first girl he had sex with. He saw the first time he met Lindsay, he saw himself fall for her, he saw himself getting nervous about asking her out, saw himself plan to ask on the night they went out in the forest with their friends. Saw himself get drunk, go to the road, and die. 

Michael sees everything. It feels like he’s broken as he looks back on everything. There is one good thing, he realizes.

He remembers everything.

 

Just like before, Michael wakes up with a loud gasp. He feels the ground and looks at his surroundings. It seems the rest of them left him where he died; probably a good choice. He stands up, brushing off anything from the ground that stuck to him. He breathes deeply a few times, regaining a normal breathing pattern after a bit. He sighs, stretching out a little. He assumes it’s been an hour, just like last time. He makes his way back towards the house, stepping inside when he gets the chance. When he’s inside, Gavin practically throws himself at Michael. 

“Oh, my God, boi, I thought I’d seen the last of you,” he says, words coming out in rapid succession. “They said you’d be fine but I didn’t believe them and I was bloody terrified that you weren’t going to come back okay and-”

“Gav, stop rambling, everything’s fine.” Michael laughs a little bit, patting Gavin’s back. “What happened while I was gone?”

Gavin takes a few breaths to calm himself down. “Geoff said he was going to take care of the guy that… That killed you. Ryan and Jack tried to stop him but couldn’t really do anything about it, so they followed him and they’ve been got ‘bout a half hour.”

“What about Ray?”

“Upstairs in his room. He says he can’t handle seeing you, uh… Die. So he kind of locked himself up there.”

Michael sighs, moving past Gavin and towards the stairs. He brings himself to the door of Ray’s room, knocking on it a few times. 

“Ray, I’m back. You okay in there?”

Ray immediately opens up the door. “I can’t fuckin’ do that all the time, man. Tell me you’re done dying.”

Michael laughs quietly. “I can try, man.”

Gavin turns to look down the stairs as he hears the door open. Geoff stomps in and goes straight for the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of some kind of alcohol and downing a part of it. Jack and Ryan follow in behind, both looking tired and like they want to be done with the day.

“What happened?” Gavin calls down the stairs.

“Took care of him,” Geoff responds.

Not a single one of them question it.

 

About a day later, Michael decides to bother Ryan in the lab. He knocks lightly on the door before entering, then opens and closes the door gently.

"Hey, Ryan, you free?"

"Sure," the man mutters, still looking at some papers on the desk he's at.

Michael walks in quietly and hoists himself onto the table. He waits for Ryan to be done with whatever he's doing. When he is, Michael has to keep himself from spilling everything about his memory at one time.

"Ryan, I have good news."

"Yeah? Lay it on me."

"I remember," he says bluntly.

Ryan picks up the usual clipboard, pen in hand. "What do you remember, exactly?"

"Everything."

His eyes widen a little bit. "Everything?" He repeats.

Michael nods. The two of them sit and talk for a long while. Michael recounts everything he'd seen, from childhood to before he died (saving some details, of course), trying to not talk too much. Ryan, instead of writing as much as he normally does, takes the time to really listen to what Michael's saying. Like he's actually interested in what he has to say. Michael likes that.

After Michael tells Ryan everything he needs to tell him, he sighs.

"And there's my life. Is that good for research and shit?"

"It is, actually. Thanks, Michael."

Michael nods, hopping off of the table and heading for the door.

"Oh, one more thing," Ryan says before letting Michael leave.

"Yeah?"

"You remembered everything. Are you going to leave now?"

Michael pauses. Is he? He thinks about the months he's been there. How he got along with all of them, how they all met. How Ray killed him and how everything ended up okay. How Geoff set the house on fire before and how Ryan yelled at him for it. Jack bringing in flowers into the house, keeping them in pots on the window sill. Ryan, who got the shit beat out of him by fairies (no one will ever let him live that down). Gavin the paradox, being so stupid yet so smart at the same time. The calm Michael feels in their home. The way they kept him from being so antisocial. Their closeness. They're like a family.

Is he going to leave?

"No," Michael says with a grin, pushing the door open. "I think I'll stay."


End file.
